Duane Vermeulen believes that the Springboks can build on the win against France and make a success out of this four-game tour. JON CARDINELLI in Paris reports.
The Boks beat France 18-17 in Paris on Saturday. While the performance left a lot to be desired, the result marked South Africaโs first win in five Tests.
REPORT: Boks bounce back in Paris
After the game, Bok coach Allister Coetzee commended his charges for โclosing out the matchโ in the dying stages. He made special mention of Vermeulenโs contribution as a leader and player in what was the No 8โs first Test since June 2016.
Vermeulen was tasked with leading the side in the latter stages after regular skipper Eben Etzebeth left the field with an injury. Coetzee said afterwards that Etzebeth will go for a scan to his lower leg on Sunday.
ALSO READ: Eben in doubt for Italy clash
Vice-captain Siya Kolisi will be unavailable for next weekโs game due to family commitments. If Etzebeth is ruled out of the clash against Italy, Vermeulen may end up leading the side into battle.
In 2014, then Bok coach Heyneke Meyer marked Vermeulen as a future Bok captain. The experienced No 8 was the Stormers skipper during Coetzeeโs last season with the Cape franchise. For the past two seasons, he has led French side Toulon.
Vermeulen got a surprise when he received the captainโs armband after Etzebeth left the field at the Stade de France, though.
โIt was sad to see Eben go off,โ Vermeulen said. โHe had an outstanding game and led the team really well.
โI donโt know why the coach chose me to lead the side at that point,โ he added with a laugh. โThere are other guys in the team who are capable of doing the job.
โI really enjoyed it. Itโs a great honour to have that responsibility and you will never turn it down. That said, letโs hope that Eben makes a full recovery and is fit to lead the side against Italy.โ
Coetzee omitted Vermeulen from his initial touring squad due to a perceived lack of fitness. However, following the record 38-3 loss to Ireland in Dublin and the setback of Pieter-Steph du Toitโs injury, Coetzee was forced to correct his mistake. Vermeulen was recalled and joined the team in Paris last Monday.
The No 8 feels that the side has made a mental and physical shift over the past seven days.
โItโs a good comeback by the side considering what happened in Dublin. That result against Ireland was a bit shocking and disappointing.
โI wasnโt yet with the team when they got together for a meeting the day after the Test against Ireland. But I know that some hard words were spoken. Things started to happen. I joined the squad on the Monday and already it seemed like changes were afoot. It was easy to slot in.
โItโs great to be back,โ Vermeulen continued. โThe pace of the game against France took some getting used to. There was a bit of pressure on me coming into this game, but in the end it turned out fine. I didnโt realise how much Iโve missed being part of this set-up. โ
The result was all-important in Paris. Going forward, however, the Boks will need to improve across the board.
โIt wasnโt pretty and I doubt people will remember it as one of the great wins,โ Vermeulen said. โThe important thing is that we worked hard for each other right up until the final whistle. It could have gone either way.
โWeโre happy with the result and it will certainly lift the morale. There were positives to come out of this game, but we still have a lot of work to do. Hopefully we can build on this.โ
Photo: Martin Bureau/AFP Photo